Doctors train rural carers to save babies from suffocation death

Doctors have begun training a second batch of primary health care workers in resuscitation of newborns as part of efforts to tackle deaths among newborns and in children aged up to two years by “helping the breathe”. The 50 health workers selected for training this week are the second set to be trained since March […]

Doctors have begun training a second batch of primary health care workers in resuscitation of newborns as part of efforts to tackle deaths among newborns and in children aged up to two years by “helping the breathe”.

The 50 health workers selected for training this week are the second set to be trained since March this year, selected from 215 health centres in the FCT.

“Daily, a lot of women delivers babies in health centres where there are no healthcare works and even places where you have healthcare workers there is need for training and retraining to ensure efficient service delivery,” said Dr Chiedozie Achonwa, who chairs the Nigerian Medical Association’s FCT chapter.

Death from suffocation is a major killer of newborns, and skills to revive them are crucial in settings where a doctor cannot be readily reached.  

Nearly 40 out of 1,000 infants died before 28 days of life from breathing-related complications, according to the latest National Demographic Health Survey.

Achonwa blamed the alarming rate on a lack of knowledge and skills by health workers to resuscitate newborns with breathing difficulties within the “golden minutes of birth—the first 60 seconds of life.”

Babies missing the 60-second opportunity to breathe are likely to die or suffer brain damage.

“When you engage in training and retraining of health workers you improve people’s skills and they will be able to save the lives of so many children,” said Achonwa.

Dr Matthew Ashikeni, executive secretary of the FCT Primary Healthcare Development Board, said, “Most babies are born with difficulties in breathing for one reason or the other and if we are able to institute certain measures at that critical time we are going to save many lives.”

He said the training could help health care workers in resource-poor settings provide care without hitches.

“At that particular time and right there in our communities there may be no time to start referring that child so if we have such capacity we are could save many lives,’’ Ashikeni said.